Time Flies
by Kallie Lynne
Summary: How do you stop something from happening when you know it won't happen for another ten years? The future may bring some unpleasant surprises, especially when you helped create them. [[Dasey]] [Review!]
1. Max

**Hi again! I know in my last one-shot I said this would be out after Halloween**, **but I decided to just publish this while I had some free time. This first chapter won't be as long as the rest of the story, but I just want to know if this is a good start, or if you want me to just delete the story. I'm always really nervous about people's reactions when I first publish a story. So please leave your comments and reviews, because they really inspire me!**

** No matter how much I close my eyes and spin around in a ballet tutu in my room singing Row Row Row Your Boat, wishing to own it, I don't actually own Life With Derek.**

(¯'°v°'¯)  
(. /\ .)

"Finally! It takes forever to get here from your house, and I hate walking everywhere, you know that Case. Next time, I'm driving." Max grunted as he trudged through the parking lot of the movie theater. Casey rolled her eyes for the millionth time since Max picked her up. Casey insisted on walking because it wasn't that far away and it was supposed to flurry snowflakes today and she loved walking in light snow showers. The snow landed on her hair and face, and she wouldn't admit it out loud, but it made her feel pretty.

"Oh, lighten up Max! We're going to see the movie you've been dying to see for months! Aren't you excited?" Casey practically skipped next to him.

"I would be, if I could feel my toes! Let's just go get our tickets. It better be warm in there." Casey looked at the ground and didn't say another word.

"Two for Twisted Words." Max took out a twenty from his wallet. At least he still had the courtesy to pay for both of them.

"Sorry. That movie is sold out." The bored looking woman popped her gum and looked at Max impatiently.

"Oh, just great. You know what, I'm not even in the mood to see a movie now. Come on, Case." He grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the theater, getting stares from a few people.

Recently, it felt like spending time with Max was almost as boring as watching hot air rise out of a person's mouth on a cold day. Casey would know; it was even colder than when they left, and she and Max were silently walking back to Casey's house. She watched as clouds of smoke blew out of her mouth and into the white winter sky. She could practically cut the tension in the air with a knife.

"Case, could you please stop walking in my path?" Max cut Casey off and walked faster.

"Excuse me? I'm in your _path? _I don't see your name on it!" She jogged to catch up with him. "What is with you lately?" He stared blankly at her. "What is with us lately?" His expression was unreadable.

"Case. I don't know, really. Suddenly, I just feel like everything we do is more like a chore than fun. Even the little things, like stopping at Dunkin' Donuts every Tuesday on the way to school, because you feel 'Tuesday is a day in the middle of nowhere, and you need a pick-me-up'. Seriously Case. Who does that? And if we just drove to the movies like normal people we could have gotten tickets!" Max's voice had raised a noticeable volume, making Casey more and more frustrated.

"Fine then. Don't come on Tuesdays. Don't come with me anywhere anymore. I've tried to be a good girlfriend, but apparently I'm not good enough! I thought if we walked we could spend more time together since things haven't been right with us lately!" Her voice was shaking and her throat burned from yelling. "Tell me what I can do to make you like me more." She searched Max's face for answers.

"Casey. When will you realize that we're long overdue for a breakup?" He simply shrugged. Casey knew that was coming, but he could have put it a little nicer.

"So, what are you saying?" Max rolled his eyes.

"Man, for someone so smart, you could be really dumb sometimes. I don't how to put it any other way, so I'm just going to say it. We're done." He said the last part slowly, as if she was really dumb. Somehow, Casey managed to take a deep breath and walk away without strangling Max.


	2. The Clock

**Here's chapter 2. I only got 3 reviews for the first chapter, so I changed the description in hopes to get more people to read this! It's going to be good so keep reviewing. If I don't get a lot of reviews on this chapter, I might think about deleting this story. I could be spending my time doing other things, so if you don't review, I wont spend my time on this. Thanks for the 3 people who did review, and all the people who put this on alert. Now, enjoy the next chapter!**

(¯°v°¯)  
( ./\. )

Practically stomping all the way home, Casey was still just as mad as when she left Max standing there. She needed to release some steam. Punch a pillow or scream at the top of her lungs. But, being Casey, she quietly walked in the house and hung her coat up. Her face stung from the cold air and she was on the verge of more tears. She quickly walked into the kitchen, trying to avoid anyone who was going to question why her eyes were red and her face was tear stained. Unfortunately, Nora was sitting in the kitchen, with a large clock on the counter.

"Uh, hey mom. Wh-what's that?" Casey eyed the gaudy looking clock as she got a water bottle from the refrigerator.

"Oh, isn't this a beautiful clock Casey? I went to a garage sale on my way home from work today and picked it up. The woman gave it to me for free! I thought it was odd, but hey- I'm not complaining!" Casey raised her eyebrows.

"Oh, well, it's um…very, well…interesting." She sniffled. "Definitely not something you see every day!" Casey smiled and sat next to her mom.

"Yes, that's what I thought. But, I can't seem to get it to work. I guess you get what you pay for, right? I've got to go pick up Lizzie and Edwin from Lizzie's karate class. Case, do you mind trying to fix it while I'm gone?" Casey merely nodded, but as soon as Nora was gone, all of Casey's anger and emotions flooded back to her. She felt tears rolling down her cheeks, but quickly dried them. Derek was somewhere upstairs, and she did not need any of his arrogant comments right now. She looked at the clock's hands. They read 4:13, about the time she came home. They weren't moving though. Casey aggressively flicked the minute hand, moving it back three minutes. She stared angrily at the clock, deciding whether it was worth getting angrier over. She was deep in angry thoughts about her recent breakup when she heard someone coming down the stairs.

"Oh, hey Casey. When did you get home?" Nora walked happily into the kitchen with a smile on her face.

"Uh, mom? Didn't you just leave?" She pointed to the front door, which she swore she saw her mother walk out of.

"Uh, no. But, listen; I've got to go pick Edwin and Lizzie up from Lizzie's karate class and take them over to Albie's birthday party. Could you watch Marti for me? Thanks, be back in fifteen minutes!" She kissed the top of Casey's head and, for the second time, walked out the front door.

_That was weird. I could have sworn she left already._ Casey shrugged it off, and carried the clock upstairs. She sat down on her bed and decided to try and fix the clock, so she could make her mom happy. She pushed the minute hand around the clock to any random time, trying to get it to start moving on its own. The hands read 8:32. And yet, they were still not moving. Sighing, Casey laid the clock down on her floor. She went to check on Marti in her room to make sure she wasn't flooding the house.

"Marti, can I come in?" Casey knocked on her door. When there was no answer, Casey went into Marti's room only to find herself standing in total darkness. She turned the light on and found Marti sound asleep in her bed. _What is going on today? _The clock on Marti's nightstand said it was 8:37 PM. Starting to panic, Casey rushed over to Marti's window and lifted the shade up. Total darkness covered Casey's eyes. Casey had no idea what kind of trick this was, but she wasn't playing games anymore. She went to the one person who could have set this whole thing up.

"Derek. I know you're in there. Let me in!" Casey slammed her fist into his door and yelled as loudly as she could without waking Marti. Still knocking, the door opened and Casey's hand hit Derek's face. "Derek! What do you think this is? Some sort of trick? Well I'm not in the mood!" She folded her arms across her body.

Derek put the back of his hand on her forehead. Casey shivered at his touch. Then he pulled her into his room, seeing as her voice was bound to get even louder. "Are you feeling okay, Casey? I didn't plan any tricks for tonight. Unless you want me to. Then I'll gladly think of someway to-" Derek turned, facing his bed, hoping Casey would leave him alone.

"You're not getting out of this that fast. I'm serious Derek. Why is Marti sleeping? Why do all the clocks say that it's after 8:30? Why is it dark outside? I haven't been sitting in my room that long…" He rolled his eyes and turned to face Casey.

"Yeah right. When you came home, you ran to your room, slammed the door and haven't come out until now. You've been in there all night!" Derek eyed Casey suspiciously.

"Uh, well then. That's good to know." She cleared her throat. She felt her face heat up and knew she was blushing. _Man, I must sound like a total moron now._ "I'll just be uh-" She pointed to her room and Derek nodded.

Back in the privacy of her room, Casey attempted to do homework, since it got so late in such a short amount of time. _Which is the part I'm not understanding._ Casey's mind wandered from her French assignment to thoughts about the night's weird events. Casey was almost positive she was not in her room for that long, so why would it be dark out? And, Marti was sleeping, which meant it really was later. Sighing, Casey shut her books and attempted to stop thinking about what was going on.

Within minutes, Casey was in her pajamas and under her covers, trying to fall asleep. Turning over, Casey spotted the clock lying on her floor where she left it. She stared at its ugly features. The black hands on it remained on the eight and a mark right after the seven. _I can't stand this any more._ Casey sat up, turned her light on and picked the clock up.

"Okay, you big, ugly, stupid clock. You are going to start working right this instant!" Staring at it a few more seconds, Casey twisted both hands around a few times quickly, and when they still didn't start by themselves, she sighed and put it back on the floor. She looked around her room for something to keep her occupied, considering she wasn't falling asleep any time soon. When she heard Derek screaming something from his room, she tiptoed out in the hallway to see what was going on.

Peeking in Derek's room, Casey saw Derek lying on his bed, with the phone to his ear. He was smiling and leaning back.

"No! Listen, I said we're done! No, no way. Just because!" He was rolling his eyes and sighing loudly.

Casey left his doorway and muttered under her breath. It was definitely one of his 'girlfriends' if you could even call them that. And yet, something intrigued Casey. It wasn't like Derek to argue about breaking up with a girl for that long. Usually girls understood Derek moved on quickly. Shrugging it off, Casey went back to her room to attempt to get some sleep. Who knows- it may be time for school sooner than Casey thinks.


	3. The Big Breakup

**Thank you so much for the reviews! I'm happy you all liked the second chapter better than the first. I have a good idea on where I want to take this story, so for all who are wondering, it will definitely be a Dasey!! Please review again**!

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Casey blinked a few times, stretched her arms and looked around. _Morning,_ Casey thought. Somehow, she managed to sleep, and the time didn't mysteriously change. She got up and got ready for school. She passed Derek's room on the way to the bathroom, and saw he was still sleeping.

Once she was dressed, she went downstairs to eat breakfast. It took her about ten minutes, and still, no sign of Derek. Her mother could see there was something wrong, because Casey was biting her lip and tapping her foot quickly on the floor.

"Honey, is something wrong? You seem a little, I don't know. Jumpy?"

"No, no. I was just wondering where Derek was. I heard him talking on the phone last night and it seemed like he was pretty mad. Have you seen him?" Casey couldn't figure it out, but she _wanted_ to see him. It was probably just concern for her family, even though Derek technically wasn't family.

"No, he hasn't come out of his room since after dinner last night. You should get ready for school, though." Sighing, Casey got up and started getting her things together. She couldn't help but think she should check on Derek. Looking to make sure her mother was busy, she ran upstairs and knocked softly on his door.

"Mhm…" Taking that as a 'come in', she creaked the door open, only to find Derek still sleeping.

"Derek! Get up! We have school in fifteen minutes!" Casey's mother instincts instantly came out and Derek groaned. "Why aren't you up?"

Derek slowly sat up, looked at Casey through barely open eyes and started fixing his hair.

"For your information, I was up all night. I'm gonna go ask dad if I can take the day off." He got out of bed, and within seconds, Casey heard footsteps going down the stairs.

_What a jerk. _Casey made a disgusted face. _A lazy jerk._

.oO0Oo.

"So, that's how Sheldon's foot got stuck in the toilet!" Emily laughed and shook her head. "I still can't believe how funny that story gets every time I tell it." They sat down at a table in the cafeteria. Casey was preoccupied with thoughts of why Derek was up all night. Emily notices something was wrong and wasn't afraid to ask.

"So. Case. I heard that you and Derek are dating now." Emily thought of the most ridiculous thing she could, and Casey merely nodded her head. "Casey!" Emily waved her hand in front of Casey's face, which got her attention.

"Sorry Em. I'm just thinking about… something."

"Ooh, what about?" Emily propped her head on her hands and waited for an answer.

"Well," Casey paused. Emily would know if she was lying, so she just gave her the truth. "I've been thinking about Derek. And I don't know why." Emily nodded.

"Mmm. Heard about the big breakup, I'm guessing." Emily pretended to look upset, but there was a smile creeping at her face. Casey scrunched up her face.

"Big breakup? Where'd you hear that?" Maybe that's what she heard on the phone last night. He did seem pretty angry.

"Oh, the whole school knows. See, he was apparently planning on breaking up with her anyway, until she found out and there was the whole fight after school." Emily nodded her head enthusiastically.

The more Casey thought about it, the more it made sense. And the more she felt horrible for Derek. Usually, he just broke up with a girl, the girl would be upset but Derek would just move on. It must have been really bad if he stayed home from school.

"Uh, do you know who he broke up with, Em?" If she could find who it was, maybe she could fix everything. They probably wouldn't get back together, but it could make Derek feel better. Not that she cared how he felt, of course. _Who am I kidding? I care about him. _The very thought shocked her.

"I think her name is Jill Montgomery. Why?" Emily shoved a French fry in her mouth.

"Oh, no reason. Just wondering." Casey played with her lunch. This answer seemed to satisfy Emily, even though it was completely false. Casey needed to find a Jill Montgomery.

.oO0Oo.

Staying home form school should be relaxing. So when George granted Derek the day off, he thought he could watch the television and forget about the reason he was up all night. Instead, George decided to take the day off to look after his eldest son, afraid of what he might do to the house while alone.

"So, do you want to talk about it?" George sat on the couch next to Derek. Derek was trying to watch TV, but George kept prodding at him for answers.

"Not really." Derek munched on some popcorn absent-mindedly. George tried again.

"You really liked her?" Derek rolled his eyes.

"If you must know, yeah. I did. But it's over, I'm tired, and you've gotten your answers. So can I go back to watching hot girls fight over some guy when they'll probably just hate him in a few months anyway?" Derek's voice had rose a considerable amount of volume, so George decided to let him cool off and left the living room.

.oO0Oo.

Casey left the main office holding Jill's schedule in her hands. So, she might have looked like she was crazy, chasing down someone she didn't even know, but she felt bad for Derek and wanted to fix things. Besides, if he was in a good mood, he wouldn't bother her as much.

Jill would be coming out of lunch when the bell ran in- Casey checked her watch- a minute and a half. She looked in the cafeteria. She had no idea what Jill even looked like. The bell rang and people started coming out.

"I'm looking for a Jill Montgomery! Jill?" Casey peeked her head over the crowd, getting a few glares from some kids trying to get around her. What was she even doing? She never interfered with Derek's relationships, partly because he's Derek and she's Casey and they don't bother each other with that sort of stuff. But, Casey had been getting these strange feelings that something different would happen if she did this for him.

A few people away, Casey heard a girl talking to her friend. "Jill, are you coming to my party tomorrow? I invited all of the guys, so you can get back in the dating game!" The girl giggled, but Jill just gave her a small smile.

"I don't think so. I'm not really ready. Derek broke my heart." Casey rolled her eyes. How cheesy. No wonder Derek broke up with her. Jill sniffled and continued walking. Casey snapped back to reality and started walking over to Jill and her friend.

Putting her hand out, Casey introduced herself. "Hi, you're Jill, right? I'm Casey McDonald, Derek's step-sister." Jill shook Casey's hand, but didn't smile. Continuing, Casey kept her cheerful attitude towards Jill.

"I heard about your breakup, and I want to help." Then she muttered under her breath, "I don't know why…"

"Thanks, but I think it's over between us. As much as I hate the sound of that." Her eyes began to get glossy. Casey was really starting to get annoyed with Jill. She seemed so hung up on Derek.

"Listen, Jill. I'm going to talk with Derek and try to get you two back together. I've never seen Derek happier with any of his girlfriends as he was with you." Casey knew this was true, and it made her sad to think of it.

"Casey, thank you so much! I'm not even sure why you're trying so hard! It's not like you like Derek or anything!" Jill laughed and pulled Casey into a hug, running off to class. _Yeah, I don't _like _him or anything. _That thought was running through Casey's mind the rest of the day.

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**I promise, the whole idea of the clock and the actual plot will start soon! I just need to set the background of the story, which I'm not very good at! Next chapter should be up in a week or so, since I have a flute solo to work on top of all my homework. Please review!**


	4. Not a Date

Thanks for the reviews. I'm really busy nowadays, with the flute thing, all of these sweet 16's, I'm getting a job, starting drivers ed, and I'm going to Europe for 3 weeks next summer so I need to attend meetings for that so don't be mad if updates are extremely far apart. And I only have a few minutes to write this because I have history notes to write and I'm sick today so I want to lie down. Sorry for whining, too P I'm kind of a mess right now!

* * *

Casey opened the front door, put her things down and made her way over to the couch, which was currently occupied by a sleeping Derek. She moved his feet and sat down. He didn't wake up, so she just watched him for a few moments. 

_Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in-_ Casey was broken from her trance by Derek's eyes opening and him stretching. She could feel a blush coming to her cheeks.

"Casey?" Derek rubbed his eyes and sat up. His hair was beyond messy, but it only made Casey blush even more.

"Oh, um, hey Derek. I wanted to talk with you, but it looks like this isn't a good time so I'll just-" She searched for an excuse to leave. Just a few minutes ago she was willing to get Derek and Jill back together. Now, she wasn't so sure what she wanted. Things were just happening too fast.

"No, it's okay. What's up?" Derek yawned without covering his mouth, and Casey made a disgusted face.

"Well, you remember Jill?" Derek shot Casey a glare that told her she'd hit a nerve.

"Okay, so I saw her today and she wants to get back together! Isn't that great?" She faked enthusiasm once she saw Derek wasn't happy.

"No thanks. I'll pass on that one." He got up and went to the kitchen. She followed, not ready to give up. Maybe if Derek got back together with Jill the strange feelings Casey had been experiencing would just go away.

"How about if I pay for one date, and you can see how it goes?" This caught his attention. He walked over to her from his spot in the refrigerator, and looked directly at her eyes, which made her heart flutter, much to her dismay. _This cannot happen any longer._

"Fine. You pay for the restaurant of my choice, and I'll go." He brushed up against her as he walked up to his room. Finally, everything was settled.

Except, there was still one thing bothering Casey.

* * *

She knew it had gotten pushed under her bed, but she got on her knees and pulled it out. It had been bothering her ever since it had mysteriously changed time. Casey thought it was a trick, but she wanted to try it again and see what would happen.

Once it was securely on her bed, she twisted both hands forward a few times. She closed her eyes and hoped nothing happened. She hoped she wasn't going crazy. Taking a deep breath, Casey turned her gaze to her alarm clock next to her bed.

_9:37_

Casey dropped the clock and picked up her alarm clock. She started shaking it, but stopped when she saw nothing was happening. She felt like throwing it against the wall. Instead, she rewound the ugly clock back to its previous time and gave another look at her alarm clock. It was back to the right time again.

"Why me?" Casey looked to her ceiling and flopped back to her bed.

"Gee, Case. I don't know. Why you?" Derek appeared in her doorway with a smirk on his face.

"Derek! How long have you been standing there?" Casey wanted to know more about this whole time changing process. Does time rewind or fast forward with everyone but her? Had Derek been standing there when she changed time?

"So have you called Jill yet?" Derek asked, completely ignoring her previous question, but still smirking.

"No, I was planning on telling her the good news in school tomorrow. Have you picked the restaurant?" Casey sat up. Derek wasn't arguing with her and that was a start. Maybe Jill could bring out a good side in Derek.

"In fact, I have. Want to come see it with me?"

* * *

"Derek, where are you going? We've been sitting in this car for an hour and fifteen minutes already!" Casey shifted her position and glared at Derek. They were pretty far from their house, it was starting to get dark and Casey had homework to do still.

Derek continued driving. He finally got of the main road and drove down cute streets with quaint stores and cafes on them. Casey admired her surroundings until Derek parked the car in front of a restaurant that was painted a dark green on the outside. It was slightly larger than most of the shops on the street, but Casey could see bright, welcoming lights on the inside. The sign above it and on the door read 'Grandfather's'.

"Hungry?" Derek was standing by the door. He sure looked hungry, and it was a long way back home, Casey figured, so they might as well have some dinner.

A half and hour later, Derek's fork was moving from his plate to his mouth at lightning speeds. Casey stared in amazement as she ate some of her own dinner. So far, Derek's taste in restaurants was amazing. Casey was enjoying everything about Grandfather's. The atmosphere was very cozy and friendly. The food was even better, and it showed. The waiting area was packed and there were no empty tables in the dining room.

_I wonder if all of Derek's dates get to have this good of a time. No wonder everyone likes him so much. _Casey shoved some pasta in her mouth in effort to stop blushing. She was most definitely on a date with Derek. And she did not like him.

"So, Case. I was thinking," He swallowed his food. "Friday at six, I'd like to take Jill to this place. Whaddya think?"

"This place just might be my new favorite restaurant. I say, go for it." Casey nodded and looked at her plate, which was almost clean of any food.

"Okay then. I'm going to take your advice. There's just one little thing I need you to do now." Derek had a strange look on his face that made Casey uneasy.

"What is it, Derek?" The waiter came and took their plates. Then Derek continued their conversation.

"Well, I need you…" He paused and smiled, shaking his head. "To double date with us. Wow, I can't believe I actually asked that." He gave a small chuckle and picked up the dessert menu. Casey pulled it out of his grasp.

"First of all, we're not getting dessert. I need to get back home and finish my homework. Secondly, why should I double date with-" She scrunched her forehead up. "You of all people?"

"Well…I'm how some would say, nervous. I really like this girl and it didn't go so well the first time." Derek closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Aw, Derek. I'm touched." Her voice dripped with sarcasm.

"I just poured my heart out and admitted I'm nervous and that's all you have to say?" It had been hard for Derek to admit that he was nervous, since he never admits things to anyone.

"Ugh, fine. I'll come, but we really need to go. Now." It was completely dark outside and their parents would be getting worried soon.

* * *

Once getting home too late and sneaking back into the house, Casey got in her pajamas and opened her textbook. She was so tired and it seemed as though her bed was literally calling her name. She glanced over to her bed and saw the clock sitting there with it. Suddenly, an idea popped into Casey's head.

_That thing has been used to mess my life up, but maybe it could be used for good instead of evil…_ Casey smirked and walked over to the clock. _For once, I want this to work._ Casey pushed the hands on the clock back a few hours and watched her window. The sun was rising back up into the sky, which freaked Casey out. She made a mental note not to look outside while changing time the next time she did this.

She went back to her textbook and satisfied, finished her homework and got to watch television before it got too late. This whole clock situation just got a whole lot better.


End file.
